Influence of Sage Burning on Indoor Air Quality: A Case Study Using Low-Cost Sensors
DANIEL B. CURTIS, Genna Munoz, California State University, Fullerton
Abstract Number: 450
Working Group: Indoor Aerosols
Abstract
Sage burning, also called smudging, is a practice of smoldering White sage and other plants indoors in order to ‘spiritually cleanse’ the space. Although sage burning is historically associated with indigenous groups in the Southwestern United States and Northern Mexico, the practice has become popular with other groups, especially through social media. Although many users assume that sage burning cleans the indoor air, and some studies have found that bacterial populations are reduced by the practice, biomass burning is known to emit various harmful products and indoor exposure to the particles may cause various health effects in humans.
The purpose of this study was to perform indoor sage burning and quantify particulate emissions and chemical properties of emitted particulate matter. White sage was smoldered in a private residence in Southern California and PM2.5 concentrations were quantified using low-cost sensors, personal air samplers, and portable aethalometers. Preliminary results indicate that particle concentrations approached roughly 100 μg m-3, approximately 10 times the EPA annual standard for PM2.5. Particle concentrations then decayed exponentially, persisting over roughly 12 hours following sage burning. Planned studies will quantify black carbon and brown carbon concentrations and chemical composition of the particles. In addition, low-cost particulate sensors will be inter-compared to determine efficacy in quantifying emissions from sage burning.